Common Mynahs

[Andy Burton's Bush Tours <>]

> Dear Punters,
>
> This thread on Common Mynahs has got me curious about the ongoing
> espansion of
> this species' range.  In Victoria, it seems clear to me that it
> is radiating out
> from Melbourne along major highways.  For example, it was
> relatively rare and
> localised in Bendigo (150 km north of Melbourne) when I was living
> there in
> 1992-94, but you would see them more or less continously along the
> two main
> highways to Melbourne (the Calder, and the Northern/McIvor) to within
> about 25
> km of Bendigo.  They were more abundant in towns and closer to
> Melbourne, and to
> my mind (no data) much rarer on minor roads, and along the
> Melbourne-Bendigo
> railway than at comparable latitudes along the main highways.  I
> still visit
> Bendigo frequently enough to confidently state that they are more
> numerous and
> widespread than they were in 1994, although still nowhere near as
> numerous as in
> other towns closer to Melbourne, or in Melbourne itself.  They
> now appear to
> heading north along the Northern/Midland Highway towards Echuca.
>
> My sense is that a similar story prevails along the Goulburn Valley
> Highway
> between Nagambie and Shepparton (100-150 km NNE of Melbourne). 
> In addition, in
> the last few years they appear to have moved quite rapidly along the
> Hume
> Highway from Seymour (100 km NE of Melbourne), to Wangaratta (250 km
> NE of
> Melbourne) and even beyond (including at least 10 km along the Ovens
> Valley
> Highway towards Bright).
>
> Does anybody else have thoughts on the recent expansion of the Common
> Mynah in
> Victoria and Australia?
>
> Regards,
> Paul Peake.

Paul,

I suspect that you are right about the preference of this species to spread along major highways as opposed to minor roads.

Just as a general comment I have no reason to believe that this species won't reach Victoria from Sydney. I have lost touch with the rate of expansion of its range along the Princes and Hume Highways, However over time the spread of this species appears to have been persistent.

Morris, McGill and Holmes in Handlist of Birds in New South Wales 1981 reported this species south to Nowra on the Princes Highway. It has subsequently been reported much further south into Eurobodallashire. In the same publication the species was noted as being at Yass on the Hume Highway, not far from Canberra.

Reports of this species in the NSW Annual Bird Report shed little light on the subject. An unfashionable bird attracts little comment from most observers for this type of publication.

Perhaps birding-aus correspondents can shed light on the expansion of this species' range to the south and south-west of Sydney along these two major routes.

Andy

--
Andy Burton's Bush Tours

21 Karabil Cr
Baulkham Hills
NSW 2153
Australia

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